Kite Eyewear

April 15, 2014

Kite Eyewear Launches

British eyewear label Kite has launched with the opening of a flagship store in one of London’s biggest shopping centres. The brand’s first appearance in Westfield, Stratford City, aims to offer high quality glasses at an affordable price. According to the brand, every frame – across both sunglasses and prescriptions – is British designed, crafted in Italy and finished with lenses from German manufacturer Zeiss. “We source inspiration and the best materials from around the world. We’ve pulled out all the design stops to make sure every pair of Kites look amazing and feel like a dream,” co-founder Asad Hamir told FashionBeans. Hamir, who also operates as CEO, is the 28th in his family to become an optician. He believes Kite is positioned to fill a gap in an industry that has “lost its mojo”. “There’s no excuse for the sterile, salesy optician environment that has become the norm. The experience was crying out for the personal touch of the good-old days, shaken up with a fresh twist for today.” The Kite team features dedicated style advisors to help customers pick out frames. Kite Kiosks are also in place for buyers to try on frames and snap selfies to share them with friends and family over social media for an immediate second opinion. The Kite range currently includes 317 frames, consisting of 27 designs, with a variety of colours and lenses. Styles available include the Fournier, which he describes as “a classic wayfarer shape with an East London edge”. Sunglasses from Kite are priced from £95 and prescription opticals from £145. In addition to the retail store, the brand’s collections are also available online at kitegb.com.